Gradometer



M. BROOKS GRADOME'I'ER Filed June 23, 1922 2 s s g 1 INVENTOR. MLTON 5120010.

ATTORNEY.

Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,133v

M. BROOKS GRADOMETER Filed June 25, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EN TOR. MLTON 550mm.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 5, 1926,

UNITED STATES PATENT oFricE,

MILTON BROOKS, OF ESPERANCE, NEW YORK.

GRADOMETER.

Application filed June 23, 1922.

"erator may ascertain the grade or angle being travelled so that he may be governed accordingly.

The primary ob ect of my invention is y the provision of a grade or angle indicating mechanism adapted to be mounted on the dash board of a motor driven vehicle to indicate the degree of, an up or a down grade including provision for adjusting the gradometer to accommodate the particular dash board on which the same is to be mounted.

Another and very important object of my invention is the provision of a gradometer wherein a swinging dial is disposed within a visible casing mounted on the dash board and connected to a movable plunger or piston, pivoted within said casing and tending to gradually return the dial to its zero position.

A continued and very important object of my invention is the provision of a gradometer or indicating device of the character above specified which is extremely simple in construction, easily assembled, highly efiicient in operation and use, practical, durable, constructed of a minimum number of parts which are not likely to get out of order and otherwise capable of being manufactured at an extremely low cost whereby its commercial possibilities are greatly enhanced.

I attain the above objects and others by the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a face View of the gradometer.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section there through showing the same attached to the dash board.

Figure 3 is a View taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view taken on the line 4--% of Figure 2 and,

Figure .5 is a detached view of the segmental indicator dial,

Serial No. 570,321.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 5 designates a cylindrical housing having a. removable back wall 6 attached thereto, said housing having an annular flange 7 whereby the same may be mounted on the dash board 8 by suitable elements 9 as is well understood. 'An annular front plate 10 formed with an inwardly extending flange 11 and the flange ring 12 secured therewith maintains the glass panel 13 in position on the dash bOfilt.

The glass panel may have the desired in dieations thereon to designate the instrument and in addition a horizontal mark or hair line may be scratched or marked on the glass panel to indicate the zero mark of the segmental dial subsequently to be referred. to.

Substantially intermediate the front and rear of the housing or casing and centrally of the sides thereof, I have provided bearings 14, 15, between which a rod 16 is mounted for rotation, it being observed that the ends of said rod are pointed so that the same may easily rotate on its axis, said rod being secured by the set screw 17 extending through the lug 15 above referred to.

A counter-balancing element 18 is mounted on the rod 16 and depends therefrom, the enlarged segmental bottom 19 of which lies adjacent to the bottom of the housing or casing 5 and as shown is partly cut away as 20 for a purpose presently to appear. 1 segmental indicator dial designated in its entirety by numeral 21 is provided with an aperture 22 at its rear whereby it may be mounted and positioned on the rod 16 above referred to. The front cylindrical face 23 of the segmental indicator dial is of substantial width so as to be observed through the opening or recess 24 in the front plate 10. The graduations on the left hand side of the fiat face 23 of the indicator dial and designated by numeral 25 indicates the down grade angle and, as will be readily understood the designations 26 on the right hand side designate the up grade angle, the zero point of said graduation being normally set with the hair line on the front glass panel 13 above referred to. In order that the instrument may be mounted 011 the dash board of various types of motor vehicles and the like wherein the dash board is disposed at different angles to the vertical, a set screw 27 is provided in member 18 so that when the instrument is adjusted the indicator dial 23 may be set so that the zero point will be in registration with the hair line and consequently allow for the angularity ot the dash board.

Reference being had particularly to Figures 2 and of the drawing, it will be observed that the eounterbalancing element 18 is also partly cut away as at 28 substantially intermediate the top and bottom thereot' for connection with the piston rod 30 and piston or plunger pump 31, the latter operating in a cylinder 3 provided with a few apertures 33 therein to permit the plunger or pump to move slowly in returning the counterbalancing element and the segmental indicator dial 521 to its zero position. In order to permit the piston and plunger rod to move with the counter element 18 when the machine ascends or descends a grade as indicated in dotted lines see Iiigure 2, the cylinder is pivotally mounted as at 34011 a pair otstandards 36 within the housing 5, it being observed that the said casing is pivoted substantially at the rear thereof to permit of its proper oscillation as the same is displaced by the counterbalaneing element 18 when the same is moved from its natural normal position when ascending or descending a grade. The top and bottom ot the housing 5 is provided with an aperture or recess 5 of sutiicient width to permit of the passage of the face 23 of the segmental indicator dial when a steep grade is encountered and as the said dial moves up or downwardly, the operator may determine the angular position of the machine, it being of course understood that the registrations on the indicator dial 23 as to the degree designation have been previously determined.

lVhile I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity, I realize that in practice various alterations therein may be made. I therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing the form of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim new and desire to secure by United-States Letters Patent is A gradometer comprising a cylindrical housing having a front observation opening, a horizontal rod extending across the casing a segmental indicator dial adjustably secured on the rod and movable across the face of the observation opening, a weight suspended from the rod for normally holding the indicator dial in a predetermined position, a bracket. arranged within the housing below ant forward of the pivot rod, a cylinder rockably mounted on the bracket below said rod, a piston reciprocally mounted within the cylinder, and a piston rod rigidly connected to the piston and pivotally connected to the weight below the pivot rod, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

MILTON BROOKS. 

